OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton University forward Doug McDermott has been named a Preseason All-American by the Associated Press for the second straight season.

McDermott, the lone returning First Team All-American from the 2012-13 season, averaged 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds last season to lead Creighton to a 28-8 season a year ago. He led the country with 284 field goals and 834 points points while also shooting a school-record 49.0 percent from three-point range.

Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was named on all 65 ballots, while McDermott was a close second by being named on 63 ballots. Rounding out the first team were Louisville's Russ Smith, Michigan's Mitch McGary and Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins.

Past preseason recognition is no guarantee of success, but it hasn't hurt. Since the AP began naming a preseason All-America team in 1986-87, the eventual AP National Player of the Year was a preseason First Team pick in 19 of the 27 seasons. In those same 27 seasons, 70 of the eventual 136 men named First Team All-American at years end did so after earning similar preseason acclaim from the AP.

Last Year McDermott lived up to the hype, earning year-end First Team All-America accolades from the AP after becoming the first MVC representative to ever attain Preseason First Team All-America accolades from the national writers.

McDermott is already in some elite company with his back-to-back first team honors from the Associated Press. Since the awards started in 1947-48, McDermott is just the 51st man to earn first team accolades twice. Only 11 men in NCAA history have been named three-time First Team All-Americans at the Division I level by the AP, and none since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale from 1983-85.

McDermott and the Bluejays will open the 2013-14 season on Friday with a 7:01 pm game against the Alcorn State.

The Associated Press' 2013-14 preseason All-America team, with school, height, year and votes from a 65-member national media panel (key 2012-13 statistics in parentheses):